Canistrelli

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour
• 200 g caster sugar
• 150 ml olive oil
• 100 ml dry white wine, Vermentinu preferred
• 1 packet (11 g) baking powder
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For the anise variation (most traditional)
• 1 tbsp aniseed, added whole to the dough
• For the chestnut variation (Castagniccia version)
• 250 g chestnut flour (farine de châtaigne), replaces 250 g of the plain flour

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 180 °C. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment. Measure all ingredients before beginning; the dough must be mixed without hesitation or prolonged handling.
2. 2
   Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the olive oil and white wine. If using aniseed or another single flavouring, add it now. Mix with a fork or the hands only until the dough just comes together into a firm, cohesive mass — this is where the dish lives or dies: stop the moment no dry flour remains; overworking develops gluten and the biscuits will be tough rather than crumbly.
3. 3
   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll to a uniform thickness of 1.5 cm — no thinner. Cut into diamonds or rectangles of 4–5 cm. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets with a palette knife, spacing them 2 cm apart.
4. 4
   Bake at 180 °C for 20–25 minutes. The biscuits are ready when they are pale golden on the surface and the underside, fully dry to the touch, and lift cleanly from the parchment without flexing.
5. 5
   Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The texture will firm and settle further over 2–3 days. Store in an airtight tin, where canistrelli keep for several weeks.